Keeping your better players...

Hi all. Hope all is super well with you all.

I have had numerous emails on coaching and will pile through them one by one, many thanks for joining those that have followed me in the past few weeks you are most welcome and let me know if i can be of any help. When and if i get to a magic following of 300 then i will be more than happy and will give 30 books of tennis psychology made easy away but will let you know nearer the time of course still got another 127 to go!!

Okay, so a few of the emails revolved around club programming and planning and one about keeping better players. This particular coach who we shall just name Joe Pro (purely because his name is Joe and i guess he is a pro as we all are), sounds like he has a great junior programme and develops many great juniors over the years but they then seem to run off to Roehampton or other indoor ventures like Riverside, Chiswick etc.... 

I understand that his venue is outside but it seems that to sort this particular scenario is to sort out a programme that these players and more importantly the parents will buy into. I used to run a group which years later became a squad of 8 girls. All signed up to a programme of 1 weekly individual lesson, and 2 group lessons with a free hitting and playing session built into the programme also to give them thinking and practice time alone without the coach. Parents were sent an invoice for school term and then holiday time was different with many playing tournaments etc... so this was priced accordingly. 

As a coach when dealing with squads of this quality do not neglect the off court work and planning that goes with it all, as well as match charting throughout tournaments. Monthly reports to parents will also be a great finishing touch. This way the players will grow together and become great hitting partners to work out with each other when outside of squad times.

Timings for these sessions should be regular and as for individual lessons why not get 3 of the students for 3 hours at a time and then 1 can have a lesson whilst the other two drill, then change around. Similar to get 1 lesson for the price of 3! Seems like great value for the parents but more importantly the students get even more quality but hopefully purposeful workouts.

Good luck and let me know how you get on